Open-mesh knitted fabric.



B. M. SHEA.

OPEN MESH KNITTED FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED 0013. i914.

1 16 64 Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

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INVENTOR WITNESSES fimfiflmwfmw (QZ MY Y U ATTORNEY BERNARD MICHEALSHEA, OF AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK.

OPEN MESH KNITTED IIEAIBRIG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application filed October 3, 1914. Serial N 0. 864,921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD M. SHEA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Open-Mesh Knitted Fabric, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to open work or open mesh-fabric, and its objectis to provide a finished fabric of the open mesh type having a perfectlysmooth and regular appear-- ance.

In accordance with the present invention the loop forming the open meshis divided equally between the stitches on opposite sides thereof, sothat the stitch forming the mesh aperture is not diverted from itsnatural form of a loop, and it .is because of this that the finishedfabric has so smooth and regular an appearance.

In the knitting of the porous or open mesh cloth a course is placed onthe needles in the ordinary way by means of a plain stitch wheel and thenext course is placed on the needles by means of a plugged stitch wheel.Now, by means of spreading or transfer wheels the long stitch of thesecond course is transferred to needles adjacent to that forming thelong stitch, and since in the knitting of the cloth of the presentinvention two spreading or transfer wheels are employed, one outside andthe other inside of the cylinder, the stitch is diverted evenly onopposite sides to engage the stitches being there formed, so that theopen mesh is symmetrical and all strains tending to distort the finishedcloth are avoided.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming a partof this specification, with thefurther understanding that while the drawings show a practical form ofthe invention, the latter 1s not confined to any strict conformity withthe showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long assuch changes and modifications mark no material departure from thesalient features of the invention.

In the drawings :'-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation on agreatly exaggerited scale of an open mesh cloth made in accordance withthe present invention. Fig. 2 is a face view of oneof the transferwheels. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the periphery of thetransfer wheel shown in Fig. 2. v

For convenience of description the stitches are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 andthe courses are numbered 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Course 5 is placed on theneedles in the ordinary way with a plain stitch wheel, while course 6 isplaced on the needles by a plugged stitch wheel, thus forming the longstitch 3 of course 6 and the long stitches 2 and 4* of course 5.

In the knitting machine spreading or transfer wheels 10 are provided,these wheels having relatively wide notches 11 and narrower and deepernotches 1.2 between the wide notches. These deeper notches 12 defineteeth 13 therebetween in the outer endsof which the notches 11 areformed. On one side of each notch 11, that side of the tooth 13 towardthe corresponding notch 12 has its outer side beveled as shown at 14,while the other side of the tooth is beveled as shown at 15 oppositelyto and more obtusely than the bevel 14. Two-spreading or transfer wheels.10 are provided, one operating outside and the other inside of thecylinder. They can be attached either with the first one in orderoperating outside and the second one inside, as will be assumed in thefollowing description, or vice versa, since they are equally efficienteither way. It is the spreading wheels which make the pore or meshindicated at 16 in Fig. 1 by spreading a long stitch 3 of course 6 tothe adjacent needles forming the stitches 2 and 4 of course 5, and thesespreading wheels succeed the plugged stitch wheel.

Considering the first transfer wheel as operating outside of thecylinder it engages the needles forming the stitches 2 and 3 and bringsthe tops of said needles,

together. The needle holding loop 2* of course 5 is thereby placedbehind the needle forming the loop 3 of course 6. The loop 3" now beingabove the needle forming the loops 2, a small cloth wheel pushes it downhooking loop 3*- over the needle forming the loops 2. A slightly largercloth wheel now pushes both loops 2 and 3 down far enough to hook bothunder the heard of the needle. Thus the needle forming loop 2 holds itsoriginal stitch and also half of stitch or loop 3*. The second spreadingwheel now engages the needles forming stitches or loops 3 and 4* andoperating in the same manner as the firstnamed transfer wheel places theneedle carrying loop 4* behind the needle carryis pressed off with a cutpresser cut 1 and- 3 so that loops of the series 1, 2, and {L arepressed oif allowing loop of series 3 of course 7. and also the bottomor closed end of loop 5 of course 6 to remain on the number 3 needle. I

The courses 8 and 9 are placed on the needle in the ordinary way, orthey may be eliminated if so desired, since they have no efi'ect on theformation of the mesh.

The mesh 16 is. symmetrical, while a loop 3 takes up the loops of course6 which would otherwise correspond to the series 2 and 4 and engages atthe midportion of the bottom about the loop of series 3 occurring incourse 8. The loops of series 2 and 4 [of course 5 are elongated, sothatthey pass by course 6 without engaging it and are engaged by thecorresponding loops of series 2 and): of course 7, which vention.

also engages the symmetrically expanded loop 3 of course 6. In course 7the loop which corresponds to the series 3 and which in the drawings isdesignated 3 is also engaged by. the corresponding loop of course 8.

Non-symmetrical open meshes require undue stress to be placed upon theneedles in the formation of the fabric, and the fabric produced will notbe as strong nor as elastic as a fabric having symmetrical open mesh asproduced by the present in- While in certain forms of open mesh fabricas heretofore proposed the whole task of holding a stitch correspondingto the series 3 is imposed upon a stitch of one of the adjacent serieswhen the fabric is knitted and finished, the work of holding andretaining the stitch 3 of the present invention is divided betweenstitches 2 and 4 so that the stitch or loop- 3 is not diverted from itsnatural form of a loop. 'In the cloth or fabric produced in accordancewith the present invention the loop 3 where it crosses the long loops orstitches 2 and 4" is not discernible by the naked eye, wherefore thefinished fabric has a perfectlyvsmocth and regular appearance.

In the foregoing description with reference to .the courses and rows ofloops or stitches, the upper row only of open meshes is considered.Since the next row of meshes is staggered with relation to the first rowthe designation of the rows of loops by number does not apply, for inthe second row of meshes laterally expanded loops are in the row 1instead of the row 3.

The formation of the mesh of the present invention requires the presenceof two transfer wheels, and in this respect differs from'other meshformations requiring but one transfer wheel.

What is claimed is:

1. An open-mesh knitted fabric having the yarn of predetermined coursesformed at predetermined intervals into symmetrically elongated andspread loops each containing substantially as much yarn as would formthree adjacent normal loops of the course,

- and each elongated and spread loop engaging adjacent loops of the nextcourse and a corresponding loop of the second course in order therefromand also being 'free from engagement with'any loops of the course ofwhich it is formed.

2. An open-mesh knitted fabric having the yarn of predetermined coursesformed at predetermined intervals into symmetrically elongated andspread loops each containing substantially as much yarn as would formthree adjacentnormal loops of the same course, each of the elongated andspread loops engaging a corresponding loop of the same series in thesecond course therefrom and also the loop of the same series of thepreceding course to the one containing the expanded loop, with thoseloops of the lastnamed course on opposite sides of the series containingthe expanded loop prolonged beyond the course containing the expandedloop into engagement with the loops of the next course in order beyondthat containing the expanded loop.

3. An open-mesh knitted fabric having courses of loops of like sizearranged in series, with certain loops of predetermined courses eachprolonged beyond the next course in order to the second course therefromand there engaging the loop of the same series in said second course,and also laterally expanded into engagement with the loops of the serieson opposite sides of the series in which the expanded loop is formed,

with the loops of the preceding course on opposite sides of the seriesin which the expanded loop is formed prolonged beyond the coursecontaining the expanded loop into engagement with the expanded loop andwith the like loops of the next course in it constitutes a member andalso a smaller loop of the same series in the second course therefrom,said prolonged and expanded loop being free from engagement with anyloops of its own course.

5. An. open-mesh knitted fabric having the openings each formed by aprolonged and laterally expanded loop as wide as three adjacent seriesof loops and as long as two courses, and engaging loops of the precedingand the two succeeding courses in order and free from engagement withany loops of the same course in which the expanded loop is formed.

6. An open mesh-knitted fabric having the openings each formed by aprolonged and laterally expanded loop comprising a length of yarnsubstantially that of three loops of the course from whichit springs,said loop being prolonged for three courses in one direction andexpanded for a distance represented by three successive series of loopsin the other direction and including four successive courses and fiveloops in its formation.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing asmy own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD MICHEAL SHEA.

Witnesses:

J. H. GA EN, CATHERINE A. GAGEN.

